Just Visiting...

Things to do

Besides English teaching, painting, and just getting to know the place, I had the opportunity to spend a day with Jonno doing the kinds of things he does - riding out through the mountains crossing rivers, helping cross rivers, digging in peoples gardens, eating with them, playing games, talking with them (or at least smiling and listening). We had covered about 50km up and down hills on dirt "tracks" and I was feeling stuffed when Jonno says to me as we ride along, "So Dave, this is Church planting." Those wouldn't have been the first words off my tongue, but it was a good call. It was a little eye into what it might look like to authentically express Christ to people like these, and it was good to have my subconscious perception of what Church should look like broadened a bit. It was also great just to get out and to connect faces and lives with what he and the rest of the team are on about.


In Madagascar it was great to see all the innovative things that MAF is doing to help people in remote areas. Flying, providing logistic, communication, and garage services, using four wheelers and fold-up boats that fit into the aircraft, helping to communities rebuild after fires and even using hovercrafts to get access to the inaccessible! We got to do a range of things from researching how to chip 'n tar airstrips to prevent erosion, to tiling, to visiting villages. One of the more interesting things though, was helping one of the MAF workers to harvest one of his rice fields. It was a really fun day, cutting the rice, bundling it, and beating it out over drums. Fun... for one day. I have a new appreciation for rice.

posted by David @ 2:00 pm